Verdicts & Settlements

T.J. Maxx Parent Agrees to Pay States $9.75M in Data Theft Case

The Framingham, Mass.-based parent of T.J. Maxx and Marshall’s has reached a deal with 42 states impacted by a massive data theft more than two years ago. TJX Cos. agreed to pay $9.75 million to states to help enforce consumer protection laws and consumer data, the Chicago Tribune reports. Included…

Jun 24, 2009 11:18 AM CDT

La. Lawyer Rapped for Filing Libel Suit Over Ethics Case Against Client Attorney

Rejecting a recommendation for harsher discipline, the Louisiana Supreme Court has publicly reprimanded attorney Craig Mordock, saying that he violated legal ethics rules by filing a libel suit on behalf of a client who is also an attorney. Because the libel suit was based on statements made in an individual’s…

Jun 23, 2009 7:48 PM CDT

Insurance Co. Agrees to Settle Key Autism Case With 100 Families

As lawmakers across the country draft and pass legislation that requires insurance companies to pay for autism treatments, a Michigan insurance company has opted to settle with 100 families seeking to be reimbursed for autism treatments for their children. The $1 million class action settlement agreed to by Blue Cross…

Jun 23, 2009 10:14 AM CDT

Free Gitmo Detainee, Judge Orders, Says US Position ‘Defies Common Sense’

Finding that a captured videotape of Abd Al Rahim Abdul Rassak shows him being tortured by al-Qaida as a suspected American spy, a federal judge has rejected as ridiculous a U.S. government position that he continues to be a legitimate detainee in a terrorism case. In a 13-page habeas corpus…

Jun 23, 2009 12:26 AM CDT

N.Y. Lawyer Suspended for 3 Years Over False Claim of Being Married to Judge

A New York lawyer with no prior disciplinary history has been suspended for three years after she repeatedly refused to get a required mental health examination concerning her false claims to be the wife of Queens Supreme Court Administrative Judge Jeremy Weinstein. Cheryl Brodsky had contended that the grievance committee…

Jun 22, 2009 10:41 PM CDT

Fla. Judge Dismisses RICO Claims Against Trial Lawyer Willie Gary

Corrected: Finding that a former legal secretary for his firm failed to establish either a pattern of criminal activity or direct injury, a Florida judge has dismissed two counts of racketeering in a lawsuit she filed against litigator Willie Gary. The Martin County suit, which alleged rape as well as…

Jun 22, 2009 6:33 PM CDT

Fen-Phen Counsel Exaggerated Heart Issue & Sexually Harassed, Client Says

A former client has sued the law firm that helped her win a $2,000 settlement in national diet drug litigation, contending that she suffered severe emotional distress because of the firm’s exaggeration of her heart symptoms and sexual harassment by an attorney working on her case. Attorney Robert Riley of…

Jun 22, 2009 5:33 PM CDT

Atty’s DWI Arrest Causes Mistrial; I Was Sober But Tired from Trial Prep, He Says

Exhausted from preparing for a murder trial, a Texas lawyer says, he had an accident en route to court on Tuesday and was charged with driving while intoxicated even though he was sober. A mistrial resulted, and in a court hearing yesterday attorney Bryan Simmons was ordered to reimburse Bowie…

Jun 20, 2009 12:30 AM CDT

Disbarred N.J. Lawyer Gets 15 Years for Gambling Away $4M in Client Funds

A disbarred New Jersey lawyer was sentenced to a 15-year prison term today for stealing about $4 million he was supposed to use for real estate closings and gambling it away in Atlantic City casinos. Michael Rumore, 50, who ran his law practice from the basement of his Lyndhurst home,…

Jun 19, 2009 10:02 PM CDT

Music Downloader Owes Record Cos. $1.9M, Jury Says

A federal jury in Minneapolis returned a verdict Thursday against a 32-year-old mother of four, saying she owes record companies an astounding $1.92 million for illegally sharing music on the Internet. Jammie Thomas-Rasset would have to pay $80,000 for each of the 24 songs she shared on the Net if…

Jun 19, 2009 1:33 PM CDT

Law Firm’s ‘Boy Wonder’ Took $30M, But Exactly Why Still Isn’t Clear

James “Jamie” Perdigao didn’t even spend the nearly $30 million he bilked from his law firm and gaming clients there, so it was easy for the former star partner of Adams and Reese to make full restitution when he was finally caught. In fact, an extra $6 million seized by…

Jun 19, 2009 12:03 AM CDT

Top Illinois Court Axes Mandatory Retirement Law for State Judges

Siding with a Chicago judge who challenged a state law that requires jurists to retire at age 75, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled today ruled today (PDF) that the law violates the state constitution and struck it down. Cook County Circuit Judge William Maddux, who is the presiding judge of…

Jun 18, 2009 5:58 PM CDT

Judge Orders Ex-HealthSouth Exec. to Pony Up $2.87B

A state court judge in Alabama ruled today that former HealthSouth Corp. CEO Richard Scrushy was responsible for the company’s fraud and ordered him to pay the company $2.87 billion to set things right. The Birmingham News notes that this is the first time Scrushy, 56, has been found responsible…

Jun 18, 2009 4:29 PM CDT

Libel Suit Over Foie Gras Video That Prompted ‘Silliest Law’ Settles

A suit filed by an animal rights activist who claims he was defamed by a California-based foie gras producer has settled for an undisclosed sum. Underlying the issues in the suit was a reportedly gruesome video that spurred a national debate and led to a short-lived ordinance in Chicago barring…

Jun 18, 2009 12:50 PM CDT

A’s Settle Class Action Brought By Male Lawyer Irked At Mother’s Day Giveaway

Just in time for Father’s Day this weekend, a San Diego lawyer and the Oakland A’s have settled a controversial class-action lawsuit over a Mother’s Day giveaway in 2004. The $500,000 accord ends a five-year sex discrimination suit in which lawyer Alfred Rava complained he and other men couldn’t get…

Jun 18, 2009 11:59 AM CDT